Student's anti-litter video on big screen

Peoria Notre Dame High School graduate Nic Collins is going from YouTube to the big screen this summer. Sort of, anyway.

Collins made a one-minute video clip with an anti-litter message that will be shown for two weeks at Willow Knolls Theatre before the screenings of 'The Incredible Hulk,' which opens June 13. The video features Collins, a 2008 graduate and his friends, Jeremy Belt and Jordan Johanson, also from Notre Dame.

The clip will also be running in the theater lobby in a 10-minute loop .

Steve Pierz, who heads the Mayor's Litter Committee, said he approached Collins to create the video after seeing some of his previous work.

'I asked, and he responded,' Pierz said. 'Goodrich Theatres gave us a huge discount to run the (public service announcement) on the big screen, and Nic Collins made the video with no school credit. The final tag line at the end of the video closes with prideinpeoria.com, the litter committee's Web site.'

Collins said he admires what Pierz is doing and supports the anti-litter movement. In the video, Collins is the litterbug in the brown hoodie.

Cliff Marks, president of sales and chief marketing officer with National CineMedia in New York, said the organization doesn't often promote local video talent.

'But if we feel like the work is good and a public service that warrants it, then we will do it,' Marks said. 'There can never be a bad anti-litter message, and we applaud the high school student's creativity.'

Marks hopes the message will have a positive effect on cinema patrons by encouraging them to drop their trash in cans.

'And we hope that message will stay with them even after they've left the theater,' he said.

Goodrich Quality Theaters, which owns Willow Knolls, is an affiliate of National CineMedia, which means it runs its digital FirstLook pre-feature program before the movies start. National CineMedia produces and distributes FirstLook and sells advertising on Goodrich's behalf. The PSA will be part of that.

Pierz is thrilled with the cooperation from Goodrich Theatres.

'The two-week view will give 4,288 different showings,' he said. 'The video is one minute, which is a total time of 71 hours.'

If this proves to be successful, next year Pierz said the committee will invite all Peoria area schools to create a PSA to be broadcast on the big screen for two weeks.

Catharine Schaidle can be reached at 686-3290 or cschaidle@pjstar.com.

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